What Is Sulfate Precipitation?

Sulfate, a compound consisting of sulfate ions (SO ₄ ^2- ) and other metal ions, is an electrolyte, and most of them are soluble in water. Sulfate minerals are salts of metal element cations (including ammonium) and sulfate. Because sulfur is a variable element, it can form different minerals in different valence states in nature. When it is combined with four O ^2- to form SO ₄ ^2- in the highest valence state S ⁶⁺ , it then forms sulfate with the metal element cation. In sulfate minerals, there are more than twenty kinds of metal cations combined with sulfate. That is to say, a salt containing sulfate is a sulfate.

Sulfate harm to the environment

There are many metal ions in the environment that can be combined with sulfates to form stable sulfates. Aerosols formed by sulfates in the atmosphere have a corrosive and destructive effect on materials, endangering the health of animals and plants, and can play a catalytic role, aggravating the toxicity of sulfuric acid mist; after reaching the ground with precipitation, the soil structure is destroyed, soil fertility is reduced, and the water system is also detrimental influences.

Harm of sulfate to people

Sulfate concentrations in natural water vary widely, from a few mg / L to thousands of mg / L (in seawater).

Sulfate is often found in drinking water. Its main source is the sulfate of formation minerals, mostly in the form of calcium sulfate and magnesium sulfate; dissolution of gypsum and other sulfate deposits; seawater intrusion, sulfite and thio Oxidation of sulfates and the like in fully aerated surface water, as well as domestic sewage, chemical fertilizers, sulfur-containing geothermal water, mining wastewater, tanning, and industrial wastewater using sulfuric acid in paper manufacturing can make sulfates in drinking water Increased content.

The main physiological reactions that occur after large intakes of sulfate are diarrhea, dehydration, and gastrointestinal disorders. People often use water with a magnesium sulfate content of more than 600 mg / L as a laxative. When the mass concentrations of calcium sulfate and magnesium sulfate in the water reached 1000 mg / L and 850 mg / L, respectively, 50% of the respondents considered the taste of water unpleasant and unacceptable. ^[3]